Latest Trends Headlines
All the headlines from our Trends Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Best Affirms Ironshore’s ‘A-‘ Ratings; Outlook Stable
May 27 2010 // A.M. Best Co. has affirmed the issuer credit rating (ICR) of “bbb-” of Ironshore Inc. ,based in the Cayman Islands, and the financial strength rating of ‘A-‘ (Excellent) and ICRs of “a-”...
Aon: P/C Insurance Rates Decrease, Capacity Continues to Increase
May 27 2010 // Property rates will continue to drop 5 percent to 15 percent for most risks, despite record global catastrophic losses seen in early 2010, according to Aon Corp.’s 2010 U.S. Insurance Market Overview. Property...
NOAA Cites Factors Supporting Forecast of Busy Hurricane Season
May 27 2010 // An “active to extremely active” hurricane season is expected for the Atlantic Basin this year, according to the seasonal outlook issued today by NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center – a division of the...
Survey: Agents Seek More Real Time Options from Carriers
May 26 2010 // Independent agents and brokers want more carriers to offer real-time functionality, according to a new industry survey. Agents believe those carriers will deliver the greatest benefit in making real time the predominant...
Survey: Michigan Employers Shifting Healthcare Costs to Employees
May 25 2010 // A survey of mid-sized Southeast Michigan employers shows that health benefits are on par with national trends as traditionally rich benefit offerings go by the wayside, according to McGraw Wentworth, a Michigan-based...
Report: Property, Violent Crimes Drop by 5% in 2009
May 25 2010 // Crime rates declined in both violent and property crimes in the United States last year, according to the FBI’s Preliminary Annual Uniform Crime Report released today. Preliminary 2009 statistics indicate that...
MGAs Called Critical to Florida’s Property Insurance Market
May 25 2010 // Several of Florida’s insurers with affiliated managing general agencies (MGAs) have come in for criticism recently but there is no widespread problem with the MGA model, regulators and insurance industry executives...
Tropical Storm Risk Forecasts Active 2010 Hurricane Season
May 25 2010 // Tropical Storm Risk (TSR) provides “real-time mapping and prediction of tropical cyclone wind fields worldwide.” The firm is co-sponsored by Aon Benfield, with RSA and Crawford & Company. It has just...
Insurers Gain Access to Detailed UK Ordnance Survey Maps
May 25 2010 // “Ordnance Survey (OS) data is now publicly available for free, giving insurers access to crucial information to aid risk assessment,” states a bulletin on the Lloyd’s web site (www.lloyds.com). Making the...
S&P Affirms Hannover Re’s ‘AA-‘ Ratings; Outlook Revised to ‘Stable’
May 24 2010 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has revised its outlook on German reinsurer Hannover Rueckversicherung AG (Hannover Re) and on various operating entities to stable from negative. S&P also affirmed the...
Montana Claims Rule Stands As Supreme Court Declines to Review
May 24 2010 // A Montana insurance rule that makes it more difficult for companies to deny claims will stand, after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear the case. “It is immensely important and affects the health insurance...
Best Upgrades AXA Insurance Ratings to ‘A’; Outlook Stable
May 24 2010 // A.M. Best Co. has upgraded the financial strength rating (FSR) to ‘A (Excellent) from ‘A-‘ (Excellent) and issuer credit rating (ICR) to “a” from “a-” of New York-based AXA...
Best Affirms Selective Group’s ‘A+’ Ratings; Outlook Negative
May 21 2010 // A.M. Best Co. has affirmed the financial strength rating (FSR) of ‘A+’ (Superior) and issuer credit ratings (ICR) of “aa-” of Selective Insurance Group and its seven P/C pooling members. Best also...
Best Affirms EMC Group’s ‘A-‘ Ratings; Revises Outlook to Positive
May 19 2010 // A.M. Best Co. has revised the outlook to positive from stable and affirmed the financial strength ratings (FSR) of ‘A-‘ (Excellent) and issuer credit ratings (ICR) of “a-” of EMC Insurance Companies...
Car Thefts Down in Most Ohio Cities
May 19 2010 // An insurance industry group reports car thefts were down last year in 15 of Ohio’s 16 largest metro areas. The only exception was the Marietta area in southeast Ohio. The Ohio Insurance Institute (OII) says a report...
California Workers’ Compensation Insurance Market More Lucrative
May 18 2010 // Prices are improving in the California workers’ compensation insurance market — at least according to one specialty workers’ compensation carrier in the Golden State. According to PacificComp President...
Florida Leaders See Omnibus Bill Stabilizing Home Insurance Market
May 18 2010 // Florida insurance leaders belive that recently passed legislation (SB2044) is a step towards stabilizing the state’s property insurance market that has had been rocked by politics, premiums assessments, company...
Arizona Auto Thefts Down
May 18 2010 // Auto thefts in Arizona are declining with law enforcement and insurance industry partnerships to reduce crime and losses. Recent national data from the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) shows the Tucson and Phoenix...
Marsh: Ash Clouds, Strikes Increasing Demand for “Non-physical’ Coverage
May 17 2010 // “Traditionally, insurance coverage for supply chain disruption has required physical damage to the insured’s assets to trigger a claim,” Marsh points out. However, recent events have increased interest...
Property Insurers Watching Ominous Hurricane Forecasts
May 17 2010 // After significant catastrophe losses in first quarter 2010, U.S. property/casualty insurers and global reinsurers are hoping their balance sheets don’t face further financial risks, even as conditions appear ripe for...
